Crimson Flames and Black Smoke
by Miss Mustang
Summary: AU: Modern Day. Katniss Everdeen hasn't let anyone in since a fire ripped through her family home, but when Peeta Mellark walks back into her life her walls begin to crack and she can feel herself falling. Only, a dangerous stalker, who has followed her for most of her life, is determined to tear them apart. Can they survive... against all odds?
1. Prologue

**Crimson Flames and Black Smoke**

Prologue

* * *

_Author's notes: This is what happens when I decide I want to write a K/P thriller. _

_Many thanks to the amazing Salanderjade for her advice, feedback and editing skills._

* * *

10 years ago

_Katniss_

.

"_A sixty-five year old man has died in a house fire in Cinder Point overnight. The investigators believe that the down stairs fire alarm had been disabled prior to the fire starting…"_

Fifteen year old Katniss Everdeen was sprawled across the living room couch with the television remote in her hand. The news blared out of the set, but she really wasn't paying attention. The teen was actually more focused on her younger sister who was lying on the carpet with colored pencils spread out in front of her. The blonde was carefully shading the picture of two flowers that she had drawn earlier.

"Nice," Katniss observed thoughtfully.

The eleven year old grinned up at her sister. "Thanks!" she exclaimed before selecting another pencil and continuing.

Katniss sighed quietly and flipped so that she was lying on her back. She was bored. The sweltering mid-summer heat had trapped her in the house which, in her opinion, was practically torture. She loathed being stuck inside and this was the fifth day in a row that it had been too hot to spend outdoors. _'Anything would be better than this' _she thought as she heard the sports report begin on the television.

"Katniss? Can you hang out the washing please!" her mom called from the kitchen.

The girl groaned and amended her previous line of thought. _'Anything but that,'_ she thought but got up none the less.

Katniss dragged the washing out of the machine and haphazardly dropped it in the basket before heading out the back door towards the clothes line. The path was red-hot and it burned her bare feet as she walked. "Fuck," she cursed and she hopped as quickly as she could onto the grass hoping for relief, but it was dry and did little to soothe the sting.

"You okay?" a voice inquired and Katniss looked up to find the boy who lived on the property behind sitting in a tree above the perimeter fence. He had blonde hair that was so light it was almost white and dark emotionless eyes that had always unnerved her. He was in her year at school and she always caught him staring at her, but it wasn't right, it wasn't admiring like the looks she got from other boys. There was something strange about it… it made her feel like… prey.

"Yeah, just burnt myself on the path," she mumbled in reply, feeling uneasy under his intense stare.

His eyes flashed with something that she couldn't read. "I heard you went to that party Cartwright threw."

Katniss nodded in affirmative then traipsed towards the laundry line and dropped the basket on the ground. She could feel his eyes on her as she moved to hang up the towels and her discomfort intensified. Every time she had come outside in the past few weeks he had been there, watching her with his dark eyes. A cold shiver ran down her spine and she sped up the process of hanging the washing with the intention of heading back inside as soon as possible.

"I heard that you kissed Hawthorne," he drawled, his eyes flashing again.

'_More like he kissed me,' _she thought darkly but she didn't say it; actually she really didn't know what to say. She met his eyes briefly as she pulled the last towel out of the basket and she fumbled with the clothes pin when they flashed again. She swallowed. "Just a rumor," she lied, though she wasn't exactly sure why. It was none of his business what she did, or who she kissed.

With those words his demeanor changed dramatically and he suddenly projected anger and hatred. She picked up the basket and mumbled a bye, adrenaline pumping through her body and fear twisting in her stomach. She was just about inside when she heard him shout after her.

"There's a photo on Facebook!"

Her blood ran cold and she slammed the door closed and pressed her back against it. She took in calming breaths and had to consciously stop herself from trembling. After a moment she was composed… and furious. "It's none of his fucking business," she snapped to herself, a scowl settling on her face. She was so angry that she had let him unnerve her. It didn't matter who she spent her time with, she certainly didn't answer to him. She didn't even know his name!

"Stupid boys," she grumbled as she threw the basket in its place next to the washing machine and marched herself out to the hall and started up the stairs towards her bedroom.

"Katniss!" her younger sister called, "Madge is on the phone! She wants to know if you want to go down the lake!"

"What? Now?" Katniss replied as she looked out the window at the bright sun that was still beating down on the town. She walked back through the house and into the kitchen where her sister Prim was leaned over the bench, her fingers twirling the phone's spiral cord as she chatted away to Katniss' best friend.

"She says that by the time you two get there the south side should be pretty shaded. She also says her Dad is driving her mad and that you owe her."

Katniss smirked. "Tell her I'll be there in fifteen," she said before turning on her heel and dashing towards her bedroom to change.

* * *

It was late evening when she and Madge walked back through the small town. The sun was setting in the distance and a breeze had picked up, cooling the air slightly.

"Delly asked me to say sorry to you, by the way. She still feels bad for encouraging Gale to kiss you." Madge said quietly from her right. "She thought that you liked him you know."

Katniss rolled her eyes in response. Her blonde friend had only sent her fifty or so messages saying the same thing. The teen scowled, "I'm still annoyed with her."

"I know, but she really didn't mean to upset you. You know what this town's like Katniss. You spend time with a boy and suddenly they expect you to get married." Madge said with a sigh.

Katniss frowned knowing that the mayor's daughter was right in her assessment of Cinder Point. The townsfolk loved to gossip, and the pairing up of _the children_ was one of their favorite pastimes. Her own mother had asked her if Gale was _the one_ a year ago. She smirked when she realised that the woman would be re-thinking this now that Gale was sporting a serious black eye.

"Dad and Mom are still going on about Brutus," Madge adds a frown playing on his lips. "Dad wants me to go with him to the dance, but he's such a dick… I'd rather go with Chaff at least he has half a brain."

"I don't even want to go," Katniss muttered as she kicked a stone, watching as it bounced along the foot path.

"No, you have to come, especially if I'm going to be stuck with Brutus," she pleaded.

Katniss sighed loudly. "I dunno, can I go on my own?"

"You should go with Peeta!" Madge teased. "Everyone knows he likes you… and I know you like him."

"Everyone is stupid. We've never even talked to each other," she argued. "And his mother wouldn't let him near me while Dad is investigating Bakery fire. They think she started it on purpose for the insurance… she went bat crazy when Dad said that they suspected it wasn't an accident"

"That woman is a nutcase. It must suck living with her."

Katniss rolled her eyes, "as if Peeta could do anything wrong. The whole town thinks the sun shines out of his… Hi Dad…"

"Hi Mr Everdeen," acknowledged Madge as she and Katniss walked across the Everdeen's front lawn

Mr Everdeen chuckled as he closed the door of his ute. "Hello girls. Been down the lake?"

"Yeah, with half the town," Katniss sighed. Like most summer days it was packed with people who were trying to find refuge from the heat. She wouldn't usually mind but she was sure she spotted the white-blonde boy from the house behind hers more than once. It made her skin crawl.

"It was better than being stuck at home," Madge said, smiling at Katniss. "I should get home. Dad said he'd call the police if I was a minute later than eight."

"Seeya tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll text you!" Madge replied before she started off down the street.

"How was work?" asked Katniss as she fumbled though her bag for her keys while her Father pulled his gym bag out of the trunk.

"Another house fire where the alarm was tampered with," her father replied looking bothered. "We're sure it's the same arsonist as the other three this month we just can't find any evidence."

"You'll get whoever it is Dad," she said with a proud smile.

Her father ruffled her hair, "thanks kiddo," he laughed.

* * *

It was almost daybreak when the sound of a high-pitched alarm ringing brought Katniss out of her sleep. She groaned and kicked off her sheets suddenly too hot underneath them, even though the fan was still whirring overhead. "Someone turn it off," she grumbled as she rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. The alarm only seemed to get louder as the minutes passed and a crash in the hall outside her room made her sit up abruptly, alert like a cat.

"Fire!" She gasped suddenly overwhelmed by the smoke that was filling her lungs as she breathed. She rolled off the bed onto the floor. It was hot to touch and it burned her knees and hands as she crawled to the door. Gingerly she put her fingers on the door handle, recoiling instantly as it scalded her and she backed away, all of a sudden aware of the red glow that was visible through the gap between the door and the floor.

Katniss tried to stay as low as possible as she made her way across her room to her window. She pushed it open and watched as the smoke rushed out. She coughed and spluttered into her hand as she tried desperately to take in the night air, but only found more of the hot black smoke that burnt her throat.

A dizzy spell brought her to the floor and she cried in pain out as the red-hot wood singed her legs. Her body shook and tears ran down her face as the smoke stung her eyes. '_I'm going to die,' _she thought as she watched the flames creep under her door.

"KATNISS!" cried a familiar, male voice from below her window.

The sound of her name sent adrenaline coursing through her and she forced herself to stand. She pushed open the other window and looked towards the ground, desperately searching for the person who was calling her. It was a hopeless endeavour as smoke and flames were billowing out of the windows below hers making it impossible to see.

"KATNISS JUMP!"

Katniss stared into the black smoke as it curled in the air around her. '_Jump where?_ 'she thought, but she climbed up into the window anyway, knowing that it was her only option. The wind blew her short nightdress as she stood on the ledge outside her window, her hands gripping the wooden frame on either side of her.

"JUMP!" The man cried again.

A crash behind her made her turn and she watched as the floor of her bedroom collapsed into the room below. Red flames twisted into the room jumping across the furniture, consuming everything in it's path.

"KATNISS PLEASE JUMP!" He sounded distraught and suddenly she knew she didn't have long before the house crashed down around her.

Tears began to roll down her cheeks. "WHERE?" she yelled desperately. The flames that licked up from the windows below were getting ominously closer and the scorching air flooding out of her room was unbearable. She could hear sirens screaming somewhere in the distance… too far away to save her.

"LEAP FORWARDS! I'LL CATCH YOU!"

Katniss stared out into the black smoke for a moment longer, praying that it would clear just long enough for her to see.

"Trust me, please!"

She could barely hear it, but the final, desperate plea of the person below was enough to convince her to jump. She squeezed her eyes shut and counted back from three then threw herself as far forward as she could. Air whipped around her face as she soared down from the second storey of the burning building into the arms of her waiting savior. He staggered backwards taking awkward steps to try and balance himself before he lost his footing and took them both to the ground.

Without warning he pushed her off him and rolled her over and over on the soft grass. She was vaguely aware that he was yelling out instructions to people around them. She caught words like water and burned, and alive. When she stopped moving she felt a cool, damp cloth placed over her. She blinked open her eyes to find concerned blue ones looking down into hers.

"Peeta?" she questioned.

"You're going to be okay," he told her gently, as he tenderly pushed her hair out of her face.

"Peeta, my, my family…" her voice was raspy and it hurt to talk. She stared up at him, her eyes filled with hope.

"The fire spread so quickly… when I got here I thought you were all, gone… then I saw you look out the window and…" He trailed off, closing his eyes.

A sob escaped Katniss' lips and tears streamed down her face.

"Hey, hey, the fire fighters are here now… don't give up on them just yet" he whispered and she noticed that his blue eyes seemed to dance as they reflected the flames. She gazed into them, yearning for some of the hope that clouded them. Another sob escaped her lips and she felt him gently take her hand, his eyes not leaving hers.

She wasn't sure how long she stared at him before the paramedics dragged her attention away. As they lifted her onto the gurney she dazedly dropped her head to the left… then screamed out in horror. The house that was once her home was engulfed in crimson flames. The top floor had all but collapsed, the windows had shattered and the thick black smoke billowed high into the dawn sky.

Katniss struggled against the arms of the paramedic who held her in place. Tears poured down her eyes until all she could see was a blur and she screamed and screamed for her family. She flayed her arms and legs until straps were fastened over her and an oxygen mask was pulled over her face. Then a needle was pressed into her arm, and everything dissolved into black.

* * *

The month that followed was a blur of pain and heartbreak. Katniss spent the first half in the hospital being fussed over by a myriad of health professionals and then, when it came time for the funerals, it was the townsfolk who wouldn't leave her alone. She hated the attention. All she wanted was to be alone to think, to grieve... not to be haunted by questions that she wasn't able to answer.

It wasn't until the arrival of her Great Aunt Sae that things began to stabilize somewhat. The old woman was not afraid to tell the townsfolk where to go and provided Katniss with the refuge she needed. There weren't a lot of words exchanged, but routines were established and even though she was lost and hurting, she didn't feel alone. So when the woman asked if the teen wanted to live with her, she agreed and the arrangements were made.

It was only two days before they were due to leave that the arson detectives called to say they had news about the fire. Numbly, the pair packed themselves into the car and headed into the town, but upon arrival Katniss decided that she couldn't go in. She couldn't face the men and women who had been so fond of her father and she didn't want to hear what they had to say. So she sat quietly in the car and waited while the old woman met with the detectives.

The teen stared out the out the passenger window, down the main street of the small town. She was tired, her sleep riddled with nightmares of smoke and her sisters screams. Unconsciously, she pulled at the bandage on her knee as she thought about how much she hurt. The burns on body still stung and her throat hurt with every breath. But nothing was as painful as her heart which would constrict every time she remembered.

"Why?" she asked quietly, "Fucking why?" she demanded and she slammed her fists into the dashboard. She closed her eyes as tears began to steak down her cheeks and she buried her head in her hands. "Should have… died…too," she choked out between sobs. The teenager pulled her legs into her chest and dropped her forehead to her knees. She ignored the pain from her burns and cried until she drifted in and out of an uneasy sleep.

Katniss wasn't sure how much later it was when she heard the car door open. She peeked up over her knees at her Father's aunt. The woman's eyes were kind, her hair was gray and she carried little weight on her bones. Katniss had always liked her Great Aunt who always visited over Christmas, but, even though she had agreed, she was uncertain about going to live with her in her home town. There were so many unknowns, and she would be hours away from Madge.

Sae smiled kindly at Katniss as she hopped into the driver's seat of the car. "They've got the arsonist Katniss, a deranged woman called Alma Coin…" she said gently.

Katniss frowned. It didn't help. The knowledge that the person had been caught didn't help heal the pain like she had hoped it would. She turned to look back out the passenger window, tears budding in her eyes.

"Apparently your Dad had been questioning her about the other fires in the town…" the old woman continued. There was a pause and Katniss heard the woman swallow. "That boy, Peeta, gave a statement on your behalf… he said to give you this… he said he got it out of your mail box."

The teenager blinked and looked at the crisp white envelope that Sae was holding in front of her. She dropped her legs down and took it into her hands; her eye's fixated on the neat _Katniss_ that had been hand-written across the front. She didn't need to read it to know who it was from.

Her hands shook as she flipped it over, thinking of all the times she had received these silly letters over the years. She regretted every time she had rolled her eyes at the innocent gesture. Slowly, she unsealed the envelope and pulled out the folded piece of paper.

Sae watched her quietly as she nimbly opened out the paper to reveal the picture of a bright pink Primrose next to a Katniss flower. Words was scattered around them and sobs tore through her as she read the last line.

_You are the best sister in the world Katniss. I love you…_


	2. Chapter 1

**Crimson Fire and Black Smoke**

Chapter One: Chasing Fire

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A/N: To everyone who reviewed - you are wonderful! Thank you so much!  
A big thank you to Salanderjade for her advice, feedback, brilliant ideas and beta'ing.  
**Smokejumper:** _n. _a firefighter who drops by parachute into a forest fire.  
**Ornithologist: **_n_. a zoologist who studies birds.

* * *

Present Day  
_Peeta_

Air gusted and raged around Peeta Mellark's body as he stood in the open doorway of an airplane at ten thousand feet. He gripped the sides of the door tightly waiting for the usual slap on the shoulder, the signal to jump. '_Won't be long' _he thought as his azure eyes spotted the fires raging in the distance and he felt adrenaline course through his veins. The very first seconds, when he launched into the air, was the most exhilarating and his favorite part of this job. It was Peeta's second fire season as a smokejumper and, so far, there wasn't a day that passed that he regretted taking on the role.

After completing high school at the top of his class his mother had packed him off to college with instructions to not return until he was a doctor. As much as he hated the woman and the demands she made, he really had no idea what else to do, so he went along with the plan. Although he enjoyed his time at college, during his second year he found himself on a different path.

Peeta had never forgotten the fire at the Everdeen house. The memory of crimson flames bringing down the family home haunted him and there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't wonder if he could have done more to help the family; to stop the fire before it killed them. It was this unknown that eventually led him to sign up as a volunteer firefighter at the station near his college. Within six months he had quit his studies and taken on a full time position. He worked as a firefighter for four years before someone suggested he should sign up at the nearby smokejumper base for the wildland fire season. He wasn't sure at first; the idea of parachuting over a fire sounded a little mad and the small city station he worked in had become his home. But his friend and colleague, Finnick Odair, eventually convinced him to sign up.

The young man had cursed his friend over and over during the intense and almost impossible training but he inevitably made it through and didn't look back. The job was just as rewarding as regular fire-fighting, but it was more of a challenge. The pace was intense and the risk was high and yet, now he'd found it, he couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Peeta looked out into the horizon as the plane approached the area marked as the drop zone. The aircraft had flown over twice already so that the pilot and spotter could survey the area, assess the fire and choose a suitable place for the jumpers to land. The spotter this trip, Rick Boggs, was stood at his left, his eyes surveying the land below. He nodded at Peeta, signalling that it was almost time to go. The young smokejumper shuffled closer to the edge and lifted his eyes to the horizon, then when he felt the heavy slap on his shoulder... he threw himself out of the plane.

Peeta laughed lightly as he soared through the air. The free-fall was in a close second as his favourite part of his job. Often it was short lived, but because of the mountainous terrain this jump was particularly high which meant that he could enjoy the view. The patchwork of deep greens and browns and blues that extended to the horizon was incredibly beautiful. Once again he took a mental image in hope that this time he could capture it perfectly in his paintings.

Mid-air he turned his body in order to aim for the marker and the view restricted and changed. Ahead he could see the wall of flames tearing through the boundless woodland. Grey smoke pumped above the fire as it consumed the sea of trees about it. It was striking… and deadly.

"WATCH OUT KID!" His jump partner, Haymitch Abernathy, yelled while laughing as he soared past him.

Peeta rolled his eyes and grinned, "YOU'RE CRAZY OLD MAN!" he shouted back. He laughed as the older man gave him the finger and continued to manoeuvre insanely through the sky. He flipped and rolled, completely disregarding the health and safety rules in his usual rebellious fashion. This was the second season that he had been paired up with the sandy blonde thirty-five year old, so the older man's antics didn't surprise or worry him. The man would push the boundaries, but he wasn't a fool.

"PULL, NOW!" yelled Peeta and both men pulled the ripcord of their parachutes and were whipped backwards as the canopies filled with air. Their descent slowed dramatically and it was now a matter of maneuvering the parachute towards the drop zone.

"That's spreading a bit fast considering there ain't any wind!" Haymitch called out as he waved at the rampant wildfire.

Peeta looked out at the fire again and was surprised to see that it had grown. He had enough experience with fires to know that it wasn't normal for it to spread quite that fast without wind… or an accelerant. His sapphire eyes widened slightly at the sight of the black smoke that seemed isolated to certain areas in the fire. "What on earth is burning that would produce that?" he shouted at his partner as he pointed out the ebony fumes that wafted into the sky.

The man didn't reply straight away, he just stared out at the tableau, his face scrunched up in thought. "Probably a dumped car or an abandoned campsite."

Peeta frowned as he considered Haymitch's suggestion. He was probably right, it was unlikely that anyone would trek this far into the wilderness, but there was something about the inky smoke that bothered him. He shook his head and focused. "We might need another team," he called back as he looked above him at the six other parachutes in the sky.

"Operations will be on to that. The tankers will let them know," Haymitch replied as he pointed at the airplanes that were dropping water on the growing wildfire. "We got to land kid," he says dragging Peeta's attention away from the flames. "Watch the trees, that slope isn't friendly."

Peeta nodded. "You turn first; I'll run into you if I turn too wide."

The two smokejumpers manipulated their break and steering lines until they safely landed on the ground, their blue and white parachutes collapsing behind them.

"He's still alive!" Finnick snickered at Peeta as he landed. "I think you owe me another fifty Mason you said golden boy wouldn't survive his first jump, what are you up to now Mellark... forty?"

Peeta rolled his eyes. The handsome twenty-seven year old and he had been friends for a long time now. They had started out at the fire station at the same time and rented a flat together up until Finnick married his sweetheart Annie a couple of years ago. It was around the same time that his friend left the fire service to join the smokejumpers. Not two years later, he convinced Peeta to do the same.

"I seem to remember you put a hundred on him wrapping himself around a tree, I'll pay up if you do," Johanna Mason retorted with a small smirk. The snarky, slightly-built woman was Finnick's jump partner and having grown up in a house full of brothers, she wasn't exactly feminine. Peeta had learned early and to the cost of his pay check never to play poker or engage in a drinking contest with the spritely woman. She didn't know how to lose.

Peeta raised his eyebrows at the bronze haired man, "some friend you are."

Finnick shrugged sheepishly, "someone always crashes into a tree and considering that there weren't a lot of rookies when you started... I liked the odds!"

"And he did it during his first season," revealed Haymitch which made Johanna grin and Peeta chuckle.

"Watch out kid, crazy is coming in for her one of her usual catastrophic landings" Johanna warned and she grabbed Peeta by the arm and pulled him out of the way of Joslyn Wiress. Air rushed around him as the woman bounced along the ground to an awkward stop in the place where he had been standing moments ago.

"I have no idea how you pass training every year you know," Johanna noted as she shook her head at the older woman, "you're really going to hurt yourself one day with those messy landings."

Wiress, as she preferred to be called, unfastened and unclipped her parachute and picked herself up off the ground. "A man of genius makes no mistakes; errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery," she rebutted.

Johanna rubbed her temple for a moment before turning to Bert Teem, Wiress' jump partner. "Explain."

The man, nicknamed Beetee, smiled. "Wiress has been examining and trialling landing techniques," he clarified. "She is writing a dissertation for the physics department of the university on the topic."

"Of course she is" Johanna muttered sardonically.

Both in their mid-forties, the man and woman were two of the older and more experienced of the smokejumpers. Beetee was actually in charge of the rookie training that was held before the season started and Wiress looked after health and safety which was actually quite ironic considering her own disregard for it. Their responsibilities outside of smokejumping meant that they didn't jump as often as others on the crew, but they were more than capable.

"You need to pack that up Wiress, the supply drop is coming in," interrupted Daniel Blight, another of the jumpers. The tall, olive-skinned man was easy-going and well-liked by everyone... the complete opposite of his jump partner Callista Enobaria whom was malicious and conceited. She also had an unhealthy obsession with fire and Peeta often wondered whether she was mentally stable enough for the job.

Peeta glanced up just in time to watch the large silver boxes pushed out of the back of the plane he had been on earlier. They drifted to the ground slowly, the attached silver parachutes steadfastly holding their weight. He moved out of the path of one that had blown slightly towards him and turned to Haymitch who was the designated leader for this fire. His jump partner smiled at him. "Time to show 'em what we've got..."

* * *

Two and a half days later the fire was finally burning out. The eight-man crew had worked laboriously throughout the day and night to create a long firebreak to stop the spreading inferno. They had been successful and, with help from the water-bombers that quelled the flames from above, all that was left was ashy soil, black trees and a lingering smoky fog.

Peeta scanned the desolation in front of him knowing it would recover. In just a few days it would start to regrow and by next season green would be splashed through the black remains of the forest. Although, he knew it would take years for it to heal completely; for its trees to stand tall again. It made him wonder about the girl he had rescued all those years ago. Did Katniss ever allow herself to heal?

_"Hello?!" _

Peeta blinked out of his thoughts at the sound of the distant cry. It was so quiet he wasn't even sure that he had heard it, but he walked in the direction of the noise nonetheless. After hiking a fair distance he decided he must have been hearing things and with a small sigh he turned and walked back towards the other smokejumpers.

Dusk was settling over the land and he stopped on his way up the slope to admire the orange tones of the sunset. Again he found his mind wandering to the girl on fire. The image of her desperate silver eyes staring up at him was always reawakened at the end of the fires he fought.

_"Anyone?!"_

The cry was much louder this time, and was followed by the sound of heavy footsteps that were fast approaching his location. Peeta turned towards the direction of the noise, "Hello?" he called. Not long after a person materialized from amongst the shadows cast by the towering trees. He was tall and thin with light blonde hair and dark unreadable eyes.

The man had an axe in his hands which he flung back into the thicket when he spotted Peeta. Then, without warning, he leaped forwards to embrace the young smokejumper. "I'm saved," he muttered to himself in a strange small voice.

The wind blew eerily through the trees and Peeta was suddenly overwhelmed by the sickly scent of dried blood and the bitter smell of petrol that emanated from the man. It made him feel sick to his stomach and he couldn't get the man off him fast enough. "Er- are you, alright?" he asked as he pushed the man away.

"I am now," the man replied in the same strange small voice. He had a wild look in his eyes that immediately put Peeta on edge.

The blonde smokejumper felt uncommonly powerless, as though the other man had somehow belittled him with his presence alone. What was worse was that the man seemed strangely familiar to Peeta, as if he and the snake-like man had met before. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked bluntly, his tone more callous than was perhaps required. He was more than a little anxious about the whole situation, and highly suspicious.

"I am an Ornithologist," the man answered coldly, looking at him as though it should have been obvious. Peeta wasn't sure how, he didn't even know what an _Ornithologist_was.

_"PEETA?!" _The sound of his own name being called distracted him from the peculiar man. He turned and shouted out his location and, for possibly the first time since meeting Enobaria, he was actually pleased to see her appear from behind the trees. "What are you doing out here?" she snapped before she spotted the man with him. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open, "what the fuck? Who is he?"

"Is she always so blatantly rude?" the man asked Peeta. His dark eyes were so fixated on the woman that Peeta found himself stepping in front of her just to break his stare. An awkward silence followed and he couldn't help but feel as though he had entered a bizarre power struggle with the man. The crunch of approaching boots snapped them out of the moment.

"What the hell are you two doing? Making out? The chopper is here to..." Haymitch trailed off when he too spotted the extra member of the group. "Er- who are you?"

"Carson Ownlouis," the white-blonde told Haymitch coolly. "I'm an Ornithologist."

Haymitch looked between Peeta, Enobaria and the stranger a number of times before speaking again. "Bit far out for a bird-watcher aren't you?" he questioned finally.

Carson's eyes narrowed slightly. "I am a scientist who studies birds, not a simple-minded bird-watcher" he snapped. "And no, I am not too 'far out'. I am searching for the elusive and very rare Mockingjay. They do not nest near civilization."

"Right..." Haymitch drawled. "Are you... staying here then?"

"No I can't. My camp and dirt-bike was set up not far from here and it was destroyed in the fire. I was just beginning to panic when I ran into Mr Mellark here."

The blonde smokejumper took in a sharp breath and his blue eyes widened. _'How the fuck does he know my name,'_he thought, his skin crawling as he stared at the man. Carson met his gaze head-on and taunted him with a dark smile.

"Well, there's a chopper waiting for us now," Haymitch said, gesturing at Enobaria and Peeta. "We can take you back and get you to the hospital..."

Peeta could barely tell in the twilight, but Haymitch's offer made him realise that he had missed the glaringly obvious fact that the man's clothes were smudged and splattered with blood. "Are you injured?" he asked, his tone softening slightly. He suddenly felt guilty for not spotting Carson's injuries earlier. As he was the only smokejumper on this crew who was qualified as a first-aider, he really should have noticed.

The man slowly shook his head, "I fell a few times running away from the fire, a few cuts and scratches perhaps."

Peeta and his jump partner frowned at the way the man played down his apparent injuries. _'A few cuts and scratches don't make you bleed like that'_Peeta thought, but he didn't argue. The sun had all but disappeared and they really needed to get going. "If you're okay to go, we can sort you out your injuries when we are in the air," Haymitch offered as he pulled his torch out of his pack.

"Lead the way," replied Carson and the small group began their journey home.

* * *

Peeta was back on the base early the next morning. He was tired; he hadn't managed to get any sleep. He had spent half the night trying to figure out how he knew Carson Ownlouis and the other night had been haunted by especially vivid nightmares about fire and axes and blood.

"You're here early Peeta," Jessica Paylor said softly. The operations manager was making herself a coffee in the bases kitchen when the blonde, bothered man entered the room. "I didn't expect to see anyone from Star Squad in until this afternoon," she commented as she pulled another cup out of the cupboard for Peeta.

"Couldn't sleep," he muttered, rubbing at his tired eyes.

Her brown eyes looked over him and she shook her head. "I'm not sending you on a jump like that, if that's what you think," the woman told as she worked the coffee machine.

"I know," he said with a small smile. He actually really liked the pretty thirty-five year old. She was intelligent, friendly and made an outstanding leader. "I doubt I would be any good on a fire right now. I just need to do something, keep busy for a while. My mind won't let me sleep."

"Haymitch said that the man you found threw you off kilter a little. Carson and I had a long chat on the way to the hospital - he certainly was a strange one..."

Peeta shivered at the thought of the man's dark unreadable eyes and tight taunting smile. "Did you find out if he was for real?"

"I called the university where he worked. Everything he told us checked out. He may be strange but I don't think he's an arsonist," she told him as she leaned back against the counter.

"What did the detectives say about the fire?" Peeta inquired as he took as sip of his coffee. He didn't particularly like the hot drink, but he could use the energy boost that the caffeine would provide.

Paylor raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been a smokejumper?" she asked, shaking her head. "You should know by now that it's almost impossible to get the detectives to go out to our fires. They are kept busy enough by your lot."

Peeta sighed and nodded, he had known that the arson detectives were rarely involved in smokejumper fires. They were often too remote to pose a risk to humans, and were often caused by either natural means such as spontaneous combustion or lightning. Plus, they covered a lot of ground and it was usually difficult to determine where ignition began. "It was just weird," he told her eventually.

"I can imagine," she said, her eyes clouded with thought. She blinked, focusing on the now, and smiled warmly at him. "So, seeing as you are here and you are looking for things to do, we have a plane that needs to be packed with supplies. Boggs is down there with the pilot. I don't think they'll say no to an extra pair of hands."

Peeta nodded and drained the rest of his coffee. "Is this the new plane, the one that has the pilot that everyone was gossiping about last night?"

Paylor rolled her eyes, "yes that's the one," she sighed. "I don't suppose that you heard the part where she blatantly ignored the idiots who decided to approach her. I was quite impressed, especially when she told Cato where to go. I don't think man has ever had such a blow to the ego."

Peeta smiled, understanding the warning. Paylor was always quite protective of women on the base, especially when they weren't smokejumpers. "I won't give her a hard time Jessica," he assured her.

"I wouldn't send you if I thought you did that sort of thing," Paylor informed him as she placed her cup on sink and the two walked out and into the corridor. "I'm going to pretend you're not here until I hear that you've been asleep for eight hours, understand?"

"Yes ma'am," he replied which brought a smile to her face. "I'll see you later" he added as he veered to the left, heading towards the airstrip.

The plane was another DC-3TP, a relatively small white plane that carries up to ten passengers. The base had needed an extra plane to meet demands for some time, so it was good to see that they were getting it ready to use straight away. As he approached the plane he ran into Boggs who was heading back inside.

"You're up early kid," Boggs said with a smile. "You here to help?"

"Yeah, Paylor said you might need and extra pair of hands to get the new plane loaded," he explained.

"I'll never say no to extra help," Boggs chuckled. "I'm just going to run and check the jump list, I think we have more supply boxes than we'll need."

Peeta nodded. "How many extra do you think we have?" he queried.

"Five. If you start loading on some of the standard gear, once I'm sure how many we're going to need I'll come and help you with the supply boxes."

"Sure," Peeta agreed.

"Watch out for the bird, she's the fiery sort," Boggs said with a chuckle before briskly heading back into the base.

Peeta's blue eyes scanned the collection of silver boxes next to the plane. _'Boggs is right, the plane doesn't even hold this many people,'_he thought to himself as he turned towards the small set of stairs that led up into the aircraft. He bounded up them yelling out a "hello?" as he went. As soon as Peeta swung himself into the plane, he found himself face to face with the girl from his nightmares.

Blue met grey and suddenly he was a fifteen year old staring down into the eyes of Katniss Everdeen, the girl he had crushed on for years. The sound of the fire ripping through her home roaring and sirens screaming was drowned out by the electricity that was shooting through him as she tightly clasped his fingers. His emotions ran rampant - relief, agony, love, guilt, heartache - twisting inside of him as he steadily held her gaze, knowing that she was searching for hope in his eyes.

Peeta blinked himself out of the memory and her name rolled off his lips at the same time as she said his. Both words came out as whispers, barely audible in the silent, empty aircraft. Then there was a pause, a blissful moment of calm, which gave him the opportunity to take in the sight of her. She was taller than he remembered, the top of his head just reaching his nose. Her long dark brown hair was tied back in its usual braid and her face was the same, soft pink lips, perfect small nose and silver eyes that sparkled in the morning light. His eyes traveled down her body, noticing the changes in the way it curved. He blushed lightly and looked up meeting her eye.

"You're a pilot?" he asked softly. He needed to say something, he couldn't just stand there looking at her, and he felt awkward under her dazed stare. But as soon as he'd said it, he regretted it.

The question brought her crashing out of her reverie and he watched as panic flashed across her face. Her eyes darted around, looking for a way to escape but he was unintentionally blocking the only path out. "Yeah," she muttered a scowl settling on her features. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm a smokejumper," he replied with a small shrug.

Katniss' eyebrows shot up. "You fight fires?" she croaked, her body shaking. He could see the pain and accusation in her eyes and it ripped through his heart. The guilt that had haunted him for years flooded his body and he felt tears bud in the corners of his eyes.

"I was fifteen," he rasped, answering the silent, looming question: _why couldn't you save them_. His gaze dropped to the ground, "I did everything I could..." But it wasn't enough for her and he knew it. He could see it in the way her fingers curled into fists at her sides, and how her body tensed. It was the honest answer, the only one he could give, but it wasn't enough for someone who lost their family. And it wasn't enough for him either.

Peeta waited for her to shout at him, to hit him, to do anything... but she didn't. Instead she stared at him quietly, her lips a small frown, her eyes haunted by memories. She reached out slowly, as though she was going to take his hand, as though she was going to comfort _him_...

"What are you two doing?" asked Boggs who was suddenly standing in the doorway of the plane, staring at them with a surprised look on his face.

Her reaction was instant. Her hand rose and hit him hard across the cheek and then she pushed her way past him and Boggs and flew down the stairs. Peeta moved to follow her but stopped in the doorway next to the middle-aged spotter and watched as the young woman strode back towards the base, all the while wondering if he should chase after her.

"You know her kid?" Boggs asked him.

"I did..."


	3. Chapter 2

**Crimson Fire and Black Smoke**

Chapter Two – Phoenix

* * *

A/N: Just to let you know, I am about to embark on a massive trip and am not sure if/when I will find time to write. I will endeavor to get a few chapters up on my way around but I can't make any promises. I hope you can bear with me.

* * *

_Katniss_

Katniss swallowed back tears as she stormed through the corridors of the smokejumper base. She wasn't sure where she was headed; she just needed to put as much distance as possible between her and _him_. Him, Peeta Mellark, the boy who had saved her from her burning home just over ten years ago. '_But he isn't a boy anymore' _she thought as she slowed her steps.

The woman sighed. '_What are the odds of running into him?"_she wondered as she looked around her. She had wound up in a lounge room of sorts. It was small, scattered with mismatched furniture and was empty making it an appropriate place to sort through her thoughts. Slowly she dropped down onto one of the dark leather lounges and put her face in her hands.

From the moment she recognized his striking blue eyes the memory of the fire had completely consumed her. It had been more vivid than the ones she faced in her dreams during the darkness of the night. The colors had been rich and frightening, the sound had been deafening, and she could almost feel the sharp sting from her burned skin. Then he had said her name and everything suddenly calmed. The smoke had cleared and it was just the two of them on the grass holding onto hope, even though there was none. The pause that followed allowed her to return to reality slowly. In the daze she had stared at him, taking note of the ways that he had changed over the past ten years. He was taller and had the muscular build of an athlete. His golden hair was slightly darker and a light tan shaded his skin. But his eyes were the same, and his mouth, which at that moment had begun to move.

The question he asked was simple and safe and hardly warranted the reaction she'd given him. But she'd panicked. The waves of emotion had threatened to drown her and she needed to get away, only, there had been no way out. Trapped and confused she had let her anger and frustrations dominate most of the short conversation. She had barked questions at him and when she didn't like the answers had dared to make accusations that weren't true.

The woman dropped her hands into her lap and stared down at them, a frown on her lips. It had broken her when she realised that Peeta blamed himself for not being able to save her family. In her mind the only person who carried that blame was herself and she had been completely taken aback when he had tried to explain. She had frozen in shock at the way the light had left his eyes and his voice broke with desperation and sadness. It hurt her to see him in pain over it; more so when she realized that she had caused it.

If Katniss had blamed Peeta for anything over the years, it was that he had saved her instead of letting her die with her family. In some of the darkest hours she had wished that the black smoke had been thicker making it impossible for him to have seen her; making it impossible for him to have saved her. During those hours she cursed his very existence and would blame him for the half-life she had been forced to live; a life without her family, a life without their love. But she had never blamed him for not doing enough, she couldn't, he had been her last hope after all.

The woman sighed loudly and rubbed her forehead with her index finger and thumb. She could feel a headache coming on. More than anything she wanted to run away and never look back, but things weren't as simple as they were when she was a teenager. Running away from her memories had been much easier... Sae had given her the way out and she had taken it without hesitation. Now though, she had to think about supporting herself, and the old woman, and the job at the smokejumper base was a good one.

Katniss had trained as a pilot not long after she had finished school and had found herself a job at a small chartering company. She enjoyed flying the smaller planes and had stayed with company until it closed down a few months ago. After that, things had looked bleak. There was no work in the area and she didn't want to leave her elderly Aunt. The woman had been there for her, she owed it to her to return the favor. Plus, Sae was the only family she had left. So when the job came up at the nearby smokejumper base she had jumped at the chance and had managed to convince the Operations Manager that she was right for the job. _ 'I suppose it's time to stop running...' _she thought.

"Katniss?"

The sound of her name brought her out of her reverie and she looked up at Jessica Paylor. The operation's Manager stood just inside the doorway and looked at her with concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "Boggs said that there was some sort of incident..." The woman trailed off and eyed her hopefully, looking for an explanation.

Katniss frowned. "It was nothing," she lied, but the moment she said it she knew it was a stupid response. The intelligent woman was hardly going to take that for an answer. Especially, since she had managed to shrug off the advances of most of the pig-headed smokejumpers. _'She must think he did something horrible to get that sort of response from me'_she thought. She looked at the floor and sighed inwardly. Peeta was hardly looking for trouble, or anything else for that matter. She had persecuted him for simply being him and that wasn't fair.

Paylor raised an eyebrow. "You hit him," she stated.

"I reacted badly... I'll find him and apologize" she said quickly. Peeta didn't deserve to be hassled because she couldn't handle being faced with the past, and she couldn't afford to lose this opportunity because _he _worked here.

"Did Peeta hurt you?" she asked slowly. She looked conflicted, as though the words shouldn't be put together, and Katniss knew instantly that the woman thought highly of Peeta.

"No, no!" Katniss replied with a frantic shake of her head. "No, I was just surprised to see him here."

"You know Peeta?" she asked. Her forehead was creased and Katniss could tell that the woman was more than a little confused. _ 'She'll just have to get over it' _Katniss thought. There was no way she was going to reveal her life story to the woman on her very first day. For all she knew the operations manager might decide that she wasn't mentally prepared for working with fires and give the work to another pilot. Plus, she didn't relive that particular story with anyone... except perhaps Peeta Mellark. And that was only because she didn't need words to do so.

"I did..." she replied carefully. The memory of his azure eyes staring down at her came to mind and she stood up, her decision made. She needed this job and she owed him her life - she needed him to be an ally, if nothing else.

"You are sure you're alright? He didn't hurt or upset you?" the woman asked.

Katniss nodded and forced a smile. "I'm fine. It's nothing," she replied. _'All lies'_ she thought sadly and she wondered when it was exactly that she had got so good at lying. She muttered an "I'll see you later," to Paylor before heading back through the corridors of the base towards the airstrip. Her steps slowed as she approached her plane and her silver eyes scanned the area for him. _'Definitely not a boy anymore' _she thought when she found him.

The blonde had removed his shirt, clearly over-heated due to a combination of effort and the glaring summer sun, and was carrying one of the last supply boxes towards the plane. She was completely engrossed by the way his muscles rippled in his arms as he carried the crate up the stairs to the plane and when he reappeared without it, she blushed hard. His muscular arms, toned chest and v-shaped physique were ridiculously distracting. So much so that she didn't notice that he had seen her until he said her name.

"Katniss?" he questioned.

Her eyes rose to meet his and heat surged in her cheeks.

"You here to finish me off?" he asked slowly.

She paused, slightly taken aback by the comment. "No," she said. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have hit you."

Peeta raised his eyebrows and wiped his brow with the back of his arm. "It doesn't matter," he replied as he searched her eyes. "I deserved it. I should have done something..."

She scowled at him. "No," she snapped "there was nothing else you could do. It's not your fault. It was her... Coin. You didn't light it. You did everything you could."

His blue eyes widened with surprise.

"Just accept that. I have to work here... there is nowhere else... and I don't want you to feel like you owe me. You're the reason I'm alive. Consider us even if you like. I don't really care... just don't blame yourself because you couldn't save them." Katniss didn't realise she was shaking until he gently placed his hand on the side of her arm. His touch was rough and warm, and she felt herself calm under it. She took in a breath and glanced towards the few remaining boxes. "We should finish loading the plane," she told him, deliberately changing the subject.

He followed her gaze and nodded quietly in response. They didn't speak to each other again, working quietly around each other until they exchanged polite goodbyes when they finished and parted ways in the bases corridor. She had just turned towards the offices when she heard his soft "thank you" echo after her. As it resonated in her heart she wondered how she was going to work with the man without falling to pieces.

* * *

Katniss sighed as she stared out the car window at the sea of trees. The forest next to the town had always been one of her favorite places and she often hiked or hunted amongst the boundless trees and foliage, enjoying the peace and solitude that it offered. Although all she could think of when she looked at it now was Peeta Mellark who was out there somewhere fighting another fire.

It had been four days since she had been reunited with the man and although they hadn't really talked since, she wasn't able to get him out of her head. Worse than that, she had been keeping track of his comings and goings like some lovesick school girl. It was pathetic... but no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't stop. For some reason she felt protective of him, and she _needed _to know that he was okay. This, of course, was made complicated by the fact that he jumped out of airplanes into fires.

"Are you alright Katniss?" her friend, Cinna Blaine, asked softly from the front passenger seat.

"Yeah," she replied softly and she blinked out of her thoughts.

"I told you, she doesn't want to go. He is so creepy around her," Portia sighed while giving her boyfriend, Seneca Crane, a pointed look. "Actually, he is just creepy in general."

"Don't be like that Portia," Effie Jamison scolded from beside her. "Carson has never been anything but kind to us and he's always helped Seneca out at the University."

"You have to admit, he is a little strange Effie," said Seneca. The dark haired man who was driving the car glanced at the three women in the rear-view mirror. "Don't get me wrong, he's nice enough, and I appreciate all his help at work, but there is something not quite right... and you know it"

"He's just another nutty scientist you mean," Cinna teased. The two women laughed and Katniss smiled when Seneca glowered at the man next to him.

"Says the gay fashion designer," Seneca retorted. He wore an indignant expression but his eyes were lit up with warmth and amusement. He and Cinna had been friends for a very long time.

"Touché" laughed Cinna.

Katniss shook her head at the group's antics. She had been a part of the motley crew for a few years now and was used to their friendly bickering. Cinna had become a regular client of hers when she worked at the chartering company and eventually he introduced her to the group. To her surprise she had fit in and since then had been dragged along to numerous functions, parties and outings. Tonight was no exception. She and her friends had been invited by Carson Ownlouis, a colleague of Seneca's, to what he called a 'grand dinner party' at his house deep in the woods.

"Wow!" Cinna exclaimed. Katniss glanced up and found that they had arrived and were heading up the driveway to the house, except it was more of a mansion. The large circular entry road was lined with trees and had a stunning rose garden in the center. At the end stood a majestic three story house that was lit up with colored lights.

"Maybe you should hook up with the guy. I mean, look at what you get," Portia commented quietly as they got out of the car. The blonde nodded towards the row of expensive cars that were lined up outside the garage and gave Katniss a pointed look. "I would love to take one of those Beamers for a spin."

Katniss frowned. She really didn't mind the man, but she did agree with Seneca's earlier assessment that there was something that wasn't quite right about him. He was charming and witty, but she never felt at ease with him and the thought of dating the man made her feel slightly sick. "Let's just get this over with. You know how much I hate these things," she muttered, changing the subject.

The group were escorted through the house by a quiet red-haired woman, who Katniss assumed was a maid, until they reached a large courtyard which was bustling with people. Katniss groaned inwardly at the grand scale of the party. She wished that she had made up some reason not to come, especially when her friends started introducing themselves to the other guests.

It didn't take long until the group was scattered throughout the party. They talked, laughed and danced with the strangers, which was something that really didn't interest Katniss. She hung at Portia's side until Seneca had whipped the blonde away to meet one of his colleagues leaving her alone in a dark corner of the terrace. She leaned against the brick half-wall and stared out at the gardens below.

"Hello Katniss."

Katniss tensed and turned to face the host of the party. The platinum blonde grinned at her, his dark eyes wide with delight.

"Hi," she said shortly before turning back to look out at the gardens. He moved so he stood next to her.

"Do you like them?" he inquired smoothly. "I am quite partial to roses. There are over one hundred different species in my collection."

Katniss scrunched up her nose. All of a sudden the overpowering scent of roses seemed to have surrounded her and she struggled to breathe without gagging. "They are okay," she answered with a small shrug. His dark eyes flashed with emotion at her answer so she pointed towards the opposite corner of the gardens. "Are those the aviaries you spoke about?" she asked, hoping to distract him. She relaxed a little when he launched into a monologue about his collection of birds.

Seneca had first introduced Katniss to Carson only months after the two men had met. The scientist had been looking for someone to fly him to remote locations in his search for rare species of birds and Seneca had recommended her for the task. As a result she knew exactly how obsessed the man was with birds and bird watching... or whatever it was that he actually did with them.

"Carson?"

Katniss watched as the man tensed before turning to face the man who had interrupted. She followed suit and found herself looking at a plump man with a giant smile plastered on his face.

"Well what do you know!" the man laughed, "look, the man has actually decided to join us this evening?!"

Her brow furrowed as she looked at the surprised expressions on the faces of the other guests at the party. Obviously it was rare for him to actually join in the festivities, '_but why throw a party if you don't want to join in_?' she wondered and, not for the first time in his presence, she felt her stomach twist with knots. '_There is something very wrong with this man_' she thought as she watched as he greeted his guests.

Katniss turned back to look over the rose gardens and silently hoped that her friends planned to leave sooner rather than later.

* * *

Early the next morning Katniss walked wearily around the smokejumper base. Her group of friends had convinced her to stay out far too late, but at least they had taken pity on her and rescued her from the scientist. She had never been so happy to be asked to dance when Cinna took her hand and whisked her away from the strange blonde. They didn't see him again which had both relaxed and unnerved her. She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing while they were all at the party in his back garden. Katniss shuddered and decided she didn't want to know.

"Hey you! Wait! Come back!" A woman cried.

Katniss stopped in her tracks and turned to look back at the entrance to the room she had just passed. She had been aimlessly wandering the corridors of the base while she waited for a fire to be called in. In her opinion waiting around was the worst part of the job, but at the same time, she understood that while she was waiting nothing was burning. And that she could appreciate.

"Damn it Finnick, stop laughing!" the woman snapped. "What's her name? Someone get her in here. We need some more oestrogen in this place!"

Katniss' brow furrowed as she listened to the banter and laughter that was coming from the room. Staying out of sight she took a few steps closer to the door with the intention of listening.

"I'm not going after her, from what I've heard... she's a little hostile..." a male commented but he was interrupted.

"So Jo and her should be perfect for one another," snickered another deep voice.

She heard a smack which was followed by a loud "Ow" and then a wave of laughter rippled through the room.

"I think you proved his point Jo. From what I heard the new girl smacked Peeta yesterday..."

The room silenced and Katniss found herself taking a step closer to the door. A scowl had settled on her features; she'd hoped that her moment of stupidity and her reasons for it might not make it around the base just yet. She knew it was inevitable, but she needed a bit of time to get settled before everyone started to treat her as though she was a wounded animal. It was a long time ago... yes it still hurt... but it was a long time ago and she wished it wouldn't haunt her so. _'It's bad enough that he's here' _she thought.

"What did you do?" the woman asked slowly.

"She's hot," Peeta replied shortly. A few people chuckled but they must have been silenced by the woman because the room quickly fell silent again. She heard Peeta sigh.

"I helped her load the plane yesterday and I thought I'd try my luck with an Odair pick up line. Didn't work out..."

The room exploded with laughter but Katniss didn't notice. She had stumbled back in shock and all color had left her face. _'He lied!'_ her mind shouted at her. _'Why would he do that?'_ She turned and walked briskly away heading for fresh air while she considered the gravity of the only answer she could find: that _he _was protecting _her._


End file.
